diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt
index aa8303b1a..eca302ef9 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt
@@ -181,7 +181,9 @@ See also <<FILES>>.
 --includes::
 --no-includes::
 	Respect `include.*` directives in config files when looking up
-	values. Defaults to on.
+	values. Defaults to `off` when a specific file is given (e.g.,
+	using `--file`, `--global`, etc) and `on` when searching all
+	config files.
 
 [[FILES]]
 FILES